Adjustable coin guide in coin processing apparatus

ABSTRACT

A coin guide is mounted above the circumference of a rotary disk of a coin processing apparatus in order to ensure that the coins which have been centrifugally sent thereto are fed one by one onto a passageway extending radially outward of the rotary disk. The position of the coin guide relative to the rotary disk is adjustable in accordance with the thickness of each of the coins of a specified denomination by means of a knob which permits similutaneous adjustment of the width and the height of the passageway in accordance with the diameter and the thickness of each of the coins.

i111 3,795,253 Mar. 5, 1974 United States Patent Hatanaka et al.

Zimmerman...........t............

Inventors: Yoshihiro Hatanaka; Hirokuni l l Primary Examiner-Stanley H. Tollberg Matono; Hidenori Kawazoe, all of Himeji, Japan Assignee: Glory Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha,

Attorney, Agent, or FirmHolman and- Stern Himeji-shi, Japan Apr. 18, 1973 'l [22] ed A com guide IS mounted above the circumference of a rotary disk of a coin processing apparatus in order to Appl. No.: 352,308

ensure that the coins which have been centrifugally sent thereto are fed one by one onto a passageway extending radially outward of the rotary disk. The position of the coin guide relative to the rotary disk is adjustable in accordance with the thickness of each of the coins of a specified denomination by means of a. V knob which permits similutaneous adjustment of the width and the height of the passageway in accordance with the diameter and the thickness of each of the coins.

References vCited UNITED STATES PATENTS Kulo et al.

133/8 R 3 Claims, 7 Drawing Figures PATENTED 51974 snmurg PAIENIEU W 5 I974 SHEET 2 OF 6 PATENTEDMR 51974 .v sums M5 ADJUSTABLE COIN GUIDE IN COIN PROCESSING APPARATUS BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION This invention relates generally to apparatus for counting or otherwise processing coins of a preselected denomination. More specifically, the invention is directed to a novel and improved coin guide for guiding the coins one by one from a coin feeding turntable or rotary disk to a linear passageway in the coin processing apparatus, such that the spacing between the coin guide and the rotary disk can be adjusted to the thickness of each coin simultaneously as the width and the depth of the passageway are adjusted in accordance with the diameter and the thickness of the coin.

In the coin processing apparatus of this type, a number of coins which have been placed upon a rotary disk are centrifugally sent to the circumference thereof and thence to a passageway extendingradially outward of the disk, and the coins of only a specified denomination are permitted to travel one by one along the passageway for further desired processing. However, in the event that two or more coins are delivered in superposition to the passageway, not only is the properprocessing of the coins hampered, but the passageway can be blocked by such superposed coins. 1

SUMMARY or THE INVENTION It is, therefore, an object of this invention "to provide that improvement in the coin processing apparatus of I the type described which includes a coin guide mounted above the rotary disk of the apparatus and operating in a 'manne'rsuch that coins of a preselected denomination are unfailingly delivered'one by one from the rotary disk to the passageway so as to be processed properly in a desired manner.

Another object of the invention is to provide the improvementof the characterreferred to, such that any coins of other than the preselected denomination which have been caught in superposition by the coin guide are disposed of through a highly simplified procedure. t

A further object of the invention'is to provide the improvement of the character referred to wherein the position of the coin guide relative to the rotary disk can be adjusted in accordance with the' thickness of each v2 adjusting means is intercoupled with the Width adjusting means and the height adjusting means so that the position of the coin guide relative to the rotary disk is adjustable simultaneously as the width and the height of the passageway are adjusted.

The features which are believed to be novel and characteristic of this invention are set forth with particularity in the appended claims. The invention itself, however, both as to its construction and mode of operation, together with the further objects and advantages thereof, will be best understood from the following description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings which illustrate, by way of example only, a preferred embodiment of the invention, and in which like reference characters designate like parts throughout the several views.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF "THE DRAWINGS I In the accompanying drawings:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a preferred embodiment of this invention together with some other pertinents parts of a known coin processing apparatus; FIG. 2 is a view similar to FIG. 1 butshowing a cover in an open position; v

FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing in further detail the makeup of a coin passageway in the apparatus of the direction of the arrow B of FIG. 4;

FIG. 6 is a perspective view showing in further detail the makeup ofa coin guide and means for adjustingthe same in the apparatus of FIGS. 1 and 2; and

coin of a preselected denomination simultaneously with the adjustment of the width passageway and-so forth.

With these objects in view and the other objects hereand the height of the inafter made apparent, this invention provides,'in a adjustably changing the heightof the passageway in accordance with the thickness of each of. the coins, that improvement which comprises a coin guide mounted above the circumference of the rotary disk, and guide adjusting means for adjustably changing the position of the coin guiderelative to the rotary disk in accordance FIG. 7' is a vertical sectional view taken along the plane of line VIl-VII in FIG. 6.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT Referring now generally to FIGS. 1 to 3 in order to describe a preferredembodiment of this invention, a coin passageway 4 is defined on a base 1- of the coin processingapparatus by a fixed rail 2 and a movable rail 3 extending parallel to each other. The movable rail 3 can be moved relative to the fixed rail 2 to adjust the width of the passageway 4 to the diameter of the coins to be processed, as hereinafter set forth in more detail.

As best shown in FIG. 3, the movable rail 3 is held against a cam 5 of polygonal shape rotatably supported at one end of an arm 7 turnably mounted on a stationary support structure 6. A star wheel 8 is fixedly mounted on the same shaftas the cam 5 so as to be in mesh with the pins extending downward from the circumference of a disk 9 rotatably mounted on the support structure 6. A stop 10 is urged into releasable enwith the thickness of each of the coins to cause the sameto be fed by one onto the passageway. The guide gagement with the star wheel 8 for holding the same at a desired angular position.

A rod 11 is mounted under the base I, and a coin guide 13 turnably pinned at 14 to' the base 1 is resiliently urged by a helical tension spring 15 against a pin 12 extending upwardly from the rod 11. Another coin guide 17 isfcoupled through a link 16 to the movable rail 3. The relative positions of these two coin guides 13 and 17 are automatically adjusted in accordance with the movement of the movable rail 3, in order to prevent two or more coins on a rotary disk 18 from blocking the entrance to the passageway 4.

As illustrated in FIGS. 4 and 5 in particular, a support structure is turnably mounted on the base 1 by a pin 19, and an L-shaped member2l is affixed to the free end of the support structure 20 in order to regulate the height of the coin passageway 4 and hence to prevent two or more coins from traveling thereon in superposition. The support structure 20 is provided with a screw 22, best shown in FIG. 5, for fine adjustment of the position of the L-shaped member 21 relative to the bottom surface of the coin passageway 4. The upper end of the screw 22 is urged against a cam 24 of polygonal shape by a helical tension spring 23.

A sleeve 25 is also turnably mounted on the base 1 by the aforesaid pin 19, and pulleys 26 and 27 are fixedly mounted on respective ends of a shaft 25a rotatably extending through the sleeve 25. The sleeve 25 has a lateral extension 28 to which a.turnable arm 29 is attached as seen in FIG. 4. The arm 29 rotatably supports a pulley 30 of smaller diameter than the pulley 26, and an endless belt 31 extends between these pulleys 26 and 30. The position of the arm 29 relative to the bottom surface of the coin passageway 4 is adjustable by a screw 32, and the arm is urged downward by a spring 33. The sleeve 25 is also urged by a helical tension spring 35 against the support structure 20.through a screw 34 adapted to adjust the position of the sleeve relative to the support structure.

Referring back to FIGS. 1 and 2, a cover 36 is openably mounted on the base 1, and a bracket 37 is secured on the inside of the cover 36 to support a rod 38 perpendicularly to the horizontal plane when the cover 36 is closed as shown in FIG. 1. A sleeve 40 formed substantially integrally with a coin guide 39 is slidably fitted over the rod 38 and is resiliently urged upward by a helical compression spring4l. A roller 42 provided to the sleeve 40 is thus urged against a cam 43 of polygonalshape hereinafter referred to. The coin guide 39 is so positioned on the circumference of the rotary disk 18 that coins are capable of passing therebelow substantially one by one.

The cam 43 is fixedly mounted on one end of a shaft 44 rotatably extending through another bracket 44a secured on the inside of the cover 36, and a knob 45 is affixed to the other end of the shaft 44 projecting out of the cover 36. Also fixedly mounted on the shaft 44 intermediate between both ends thereof are a bevel gear 46 and the aforesaid cam 24 which, when the cover is closed as in FIG. 1, properly engage a bevel gear 47 and the adjusting screw 22, respectively.

Proceeding to thedescription of a mode of operation of the preferred embodiment of the invention, constructed as hereinabove described, the knob 45 is manually turned in accordance with the denomination of the coins to be processed, with the result that the bevel gear 46, the cam 24 and the cam 43 are all turned through a corresponding angle around the shaft 44, as

will be understood from FIG. 1 in particular. It is possi-.

ble, of course, to turn the shaft 44 automatically by some electrical means, without prejudicing the novelty of this invention.

The rotation of the bevel gear 46 on the shaft 44 is imparted to the cam 5 (FIG. 3) through the bevel gear 47, the disk 9, and the star wheel 8, so that the movable rail 3 is moved on the base 1 to adjust the width of the coin passageway 4 to the approximate diameter of the coins to be procesed. This movement of the rail 3'is transmitted through the rod 11 and the pin 12 to the coin guide 13, thereby causing the same to turn around the pin 14 with the aid of the helical tension spring 15. The other coin guide 17 is also caused through the link 16 to slide along a guide pin 17a, sothat the width of the entrance E to the coin passageway 4 defined by these coin guides 13 and 17 is also subjected to the approximate diameter of the coins to be processed.

As the cam 24 is turned as aforesaid on the shaft 44 in sliding contact with the adjusting screw 22, the support structure 20 is turned through a predetermined angle with the aid of the helical tension spring 23, as will be best understood by referring to FIG. 5. As a consequence, the L-shaped member 21 affixed to the free end of the support structure 20 is positioned a predetermined distance from the bottom surface of the coin passageway 4 in accordance with the thickness of each of the coins to be processed.

The rotation of the cam 43 on the shaft 44 causes a change in the position of the sleeve 40 on the rod 38 through the roller 42, so that the coin guide 39 is positioned a desired distance from the surface of the rotary disk 18.

As the rotary disk 18 is rotated on its own axis in the direction of the arrow in FIG. 1 by drive means not shown in the drawings, the coinson its upper surface are centrifugally fed under the coin guide 39 and thence to the entrance E defined by the other coin guides 13 and 17. Since the pulley 26 on the shaft 25 is now being rotated through the pulley 27, the coins which have been fed to the entrance -E are successively carried along the passageway 4 by the endless belt 31 for further processing. In this manner the coins of the preselected denomination are delivered one by one to the passageway 4 as a result of the operation of the adjustable coin guide 39 in accordance with this inven tion.

However, it is possible that two or more coins which are thinner thanthe coins of the preselected denomination be fed in superposition into the space between the rotary disk 18 and the coin guide 39 and thus held immovable therein. In this case, the cover 36 may be manually opened to lift the coin guide 39 off the surface of therotary disk 18 and then to eliminate such undesired coins. The cam 24 and the bevel gear 46 will easily move out of engagement with the adjusting screw 22 and the bevel gear 47 respectively when the cover 36 is opened, and will also readily engage them when the cover is closed.

What is claimed is:

1. In a coin processing apparatus comprising a rotary disk on which coins of a preselected denomination to be processed are sent centrifugally to the circumference thereof and thence to a passageway extending outward therefrom, an endless belt adapted to feed the successive coins along said passageway, width adjusting means for adjustably changing the width of said passageway in accordance with the diameter of each of the coins, and height adjusting means for adjustably changing the height of said passageway in accordance with the thickness of each of the coins, that improvement which comprises a coin guide above the circumference of said rotary disk, and guide adjusting means for adjustably changing the position of said coin guide relative to said rotary disk in accordance with the thickness of each of the coins to cause the same to be fed one by one onto said passageway, said guide adjusting means being interlocked with said width adjusting means and said height adjusting means whereby the position of said coin guide relative to said rotary disk is adjustable simultaneously with the'width and the height of said passageway.

2. The improvement as defined in claim 1, wherein said guide adjusting means comprises a sleeve formed substantially integrally with said coin guide, a rod extending vertically through said sleeve to permit said coin guide to be moved up and down relative to said roply by opening said cover. 

1. In a coin processing apparatus comprising a rotary disk on which coins of a preselected denomination to be processed are sent centrifugally to the circumference thereof and thence to a passageway extending outward therefrom, an endless belt adapted to feed the successive coins along said passageway, width adjusting means for adjustably changing the width of said passageway in accordance with the diameter of each of the coins, and height adjusting means for adjustably changing the height of said passageway in accordance with the thickness of each of the coins, that improvement which comprises a coin guide above the circumference of said rotary disk, and guide adjusting means for adjustably changing the position of said coin guide relative to said rotary disk in accordance with the thickness of each of the coins to cause the same to be fed one by one onto said passageway, said guide adjusting means being interlocked with said width adjusting means and said height adjusting means whereby the position of said coin guide relative to said rotary disk is adjustable simultaneously with the width and the height of said passageway.
 2. The improvement as defined in claim 1, wherein said guide adjusting means comprises a sleeve formed substantially integrally with said coin guide, a rod extending vertically through said sleeve to permit said coin guide to be moved up and down relative to said rotary disk, a cam revolvable by the same means as that for operating said width adjusting means and said height adjusting means, and a roller rotatably affixed to said sleeve and resiliently urged against said cam.
 3. The improvement as defined in claim 2, wherein said sleeve and said cam are both supported on the inside of an openable cover whereby any coins which have become caught in superposition between said coin guide and said rotary disk are manually removable simply by opening said cover. 